Is This a New Era of Normal? Detoxing for Life with Constant Toxic Load

I'm no engineer. I'm absolutely not brainy with electronics. Computers and the like regularly set my teeth on edge (as I'm sure is apparent to anyone with any tech sense, LOL). But every so often, I dream of inventions. I know I couldn't manage to create them, but I wish someone would!

I have a love-hate relationship with my front loading washer. I love that I can stuff a king-sized comforter in it, but I hate that it doesn't fill with water. I long for gushes, not trickles. What's the point of an "environmentally friendly" washing machine that has to be run three times just to get a load clean? Water, Whirlpool! Water would help! I long for the days of old-fashioned "water wasting," full-to-the-brim, heavy duty, steel-drum top loaders. The kind my parents had. These new, shiny, rinky dink, "designed obsolescence" appliances make me want to set my hair afire. I would love to see someone manufacture an honest-to-goodness, super large capacity, water-gobbling top loader with a removable agitator...so I can take it out when I want to wash a king-sized comforter or sleeping bag.

Or how about a voice-activated shower shut off system? You program it to the sound of your screaming... So when your husband decides to bless you by washing some dishes during your "quiet time," stealing ALL the hot water, or your child flushes the toilet while you are in the shower and you get scalded, a quick "AAAIIIIEEEEEEEEE," and the water turns off instantly.

But my current desire is a special pair of glasses with which you could see all the pollution sources around you...EMFs, radiation, petroleum by-products...everything. The glasses would detect and measure the dangers for you.

This last invention would have come in quite handy last week, when my children received burns after playing in the fresh fallen snow. It was not a freezing cold day. I considered the possibility of superficial frostbite (aka frostnip), in which the exposed skin surface freezes, initially feeling red and itchy, but then turns pale and becomes numb. Frostnip typically affects the cheeks, ears, fingers and toes, but my children's marks were only on skin where snow had come into direct contact. My children's marks looked like a sunburn, and they were warm, raw and painful to the touch...they never paled and did not numb. So my instinct urged me to question... If these were burns, what could be the cause?

I had recently read about continued radiation release from Fukoshima. Certainly it wasn't broadcast on CNN or MSNBC. But my brief years as a professional journalist firmly entrenched me into a distrust of corporate media. [Why would we expect that the "official" stories are always true? Or that we are being given anything more than a "story" at all? Never forget, my friends, truth is stranger than fiction and the powers that be do not trade in truth. Ask any classically trained journalist (who still believes in sharing the unvarnished truth with the public) about PR spin doctors, and you'll get more of an earful than you ever desired.]

And perhaps the information is flawed. But watching a Geiger reading last week at the beach in California indicating radioactivity at 1200% above normal, really raised my hackles. And seeing a man in Missouri reading radioactivity in the snowfall started me worrying. Frankly, I do not care the source of the pollution, be it Fukoshima or something else in the air... When empirical evidence tells us that the problem exists, the source is somewhat irrelevant.

My children, excited for our year's first significant snowfall, did what all exuberant youth should do. They eagerly plunged into an afternoon of snowfort building and snowball throwing. But after an hour, they came in the house complaining. They didn't feel quite well, and their skin itched. An hour later, upon examination, I noticed that they had red, raw patches on their skin...only in a few places, where they had direct contact with snow. My eldest son received snowballs down the back of his neck, my middle son had snow on his face and chin, and my young daughter had a small snowball stuffed (by a lovingly goofball brother) down her shirt. Each child complained that the red marks, which I can describe only as burns, were tender...painful upon touch.

I have never before seen such a reaction to the snow. I was concerned and wanted some confirmation of my suspicions...pronto. But I don't own a Geiger counter (yet). Thankfully, I know someone who knows someones who were likely candidates.

It could just be my imagination (or a bit of wishful thinking), but it seems to me that in our rural northwest location we are surrounded by an above-average demographic of doomsday preppers. As we are still rather "new" here, I am unsure if this contingent is "life as normal," or if it is a recently rising trend. But God bless those self-sufficient survivalists, some of them are quite friendly, some of them willing to share their wisdom, and some of them have Geiger counters.

The report I received from my friend was that the gentleman he queried went walking in the snow with his detector, and he reported that we were "hot." Ten RADS an hour. He admitted his equipment might not be properly calibrated, but considering the radioactive readings others got last week, I am inclined to believe that all is not clean and clear in the air. I do not yet fully understand all the nuances of measuring radioactivity and the RADS reading, and I continue to study the issue. I am desirous of confirmation or contradiction from other people with equipment. But I am not going to sit around and do nothing, assuming that this is my overactive imagination. If we are being exposed again (or still) to radioactivity from Fukoshima or something else, I need to be proactive to protect my family.

So my hunt for the daily radiation detox regimen begins. In a shocking turn of events (gasp), I am not attempting in this post to reveal all the answers, remedy all ailments, firmly direct readers. I simply want to share this part of my journey so you might begin to question the necessity of your own. I will tell you what I've discovered and decided so far and urge you to research further and consider what it means to live in a chronically toxic environment.

Protection and Detoxification from Radiation

Treatments for nuclear contamination include familiar nutrients and supplements that protect our organs and detoxify our bodies. The following include a few essentials that I am giving my family daily. Most of these items have been part of our routine for years, and most of them overlap with the GAPS detox protocol, but I am increasing regularity and dosage (particularly of clay). Please research and study beyond my recommendations, as there is much to learn and I am only sharing an overview.

Flushing with proper hydration (drink 1 oz. water for every pound you weigh and add 1 tsp. mineral rich real salt to every gallon of water you consume)

We hear a lot about iodine supplementation as a crucial component to radioactivity exposure. Elemental iodine is important, but it isn't enough. It won't protect your entire body from all types of radiation. It is fundamental for thyroid protection, and it should be used daily. I recommend Lugol's 5%, Iodoral
tablets, and Nascent Iodine. Take selenium with iodine, as it improves thyroid function and iodine absorption. I recommend 200 mcg. selenium
and a minimum of 50 mg. iodine daily (for adults). To learn more about iodine and to better determine your personal dose, please read:

Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) is an effective and inexpensive remedy for radiation exposure. It is especially protective of our kidneys; it binds with uranium. Drinking a baking soda/water mixture will help flush radiation from kidneys, and a detox bath of baking soda, epsom salts (or magnesium citrate
flakes) and clay will flush radiation from our bodies. I use one to two cups of baking soda in a bath, soaking for at least 20 minutes. When using the combo, I add 1 cup of salt, and 1/2 to 1 cup clay.

Clay can act as a sponge for absorbing and removing toxins from our bodies. Consuming and bathing in clay is currently part of our "normal" routine. Take care when consuming clay that you drink plenty of water, and begin with a small dose. Some practitioners believe clay is safe for regular consumption in small amounts, others believe it should be used for temporary healing only. Read more about consuming clay for detoxification and decide for yourself. Good quality clay is essential, of course. I use Pascalite, but a high quality bentonite and/or montmorillonite would be good choices as well. My current internal dose is a teaspoon a day mixed in 24 oz. water. I add this to my morning tonic of 2 Tb. apple cider vinegar and cellular/hormonal regenerating herbal tonic (more on those someday...maybe). Each member of my family drinks and bathes in clay (our detox baths often include magnesium citrate, baking soda, and ACV).

I hope you are inspired to find answers and apply remedies to protect the people you love. I owe special thanks to friends who listened to me rant and vent last week, and who helped channel my research quickly. If we are living in the new age of normal that includes chronic exposure to toxic pollutions over which we have no control and even no warning, we should daily apply prophylactic detoxification protocols. If you are doing the GAPS protocol, much of this will be familiar to you. My focus now is on constant detox rather than temporary or bi-yearly detox. I wish you all well!